Farm foresters hold national conference in Manawatu

Most of the country’s top farm foresters will be in Manawatu this week to learn about managing a variety of challenging conditions.

About 190 are expected at the annual national conference, hosted by the Middle Districts Farm Forestry Association, with the theme of ‘‘the challenge of diverse land forms’’.

Horizons chairman and Accelerate25 lead team member Bruce Gordon will open the conference.

‘‘Building on the region’s natural advantages, specific activities have been outlined to help unlock potential increased productivity, profitability and sustainability. This in turn will add strength to key industries to allow for more resilience in cases such as global price shocks,’’ he said.

Horizons land manager Grant Cooper will talk about the emissions trading scheme, Horizons Regional Council’s One Plan and the benefits of the Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI).

‘‘Over half our region’s land is classified as hill country,’’ he said.

‘‘At Horizons, we want to support farmers to plant trees on erosion-prone areas where they will see the greatest benefits, not only to protect vulnerable land, but also to lead to increased productivity.’’

As part of the SLUI programme, about 650 comprehensive plans covering 481,000 hectares have been created.

‘‘We can help farmers find the optimal use for their soil, and also look at potential grants to plant vegetation on this land. We’re looking forward to the discussions,’’ Cooper said.

Horizons staff will be hosting a field visit to Goulter’s Gully in the Pohangina Valley on Sunday, April 9.